Rhythm and Bounce: Revamped
by Salazarfalcon
Summary: Hiwatari Kai's got it all: he's on his own, he's got great friends, he'll never have to worry about money again. But there's a reason he classifies himself as an insomniac, and why Rei has a key to his house.


Rhythm and Bounce

Fandom: Bakuten Shoot Beyblade

Genre: General

Rating: PG-13

Type: AU

Warnings: Close-friendship that borders on slash-but-isn't-really-but-I'm-a-fan-of-emotional-interaction-so-it-goes-in.

First of all, the only things from Beyblade that I'm using in this fic are the characters. There are no beyblades, no bit beasts, no epic battles for the world as we know it. This is a simple horse-oriented story, because I believe that we need more of them, and if you don't like AUs and slight OOC, then I sincerely wish you don't feel pressured to read it. However, if you do, feel free to enjoy it.

Summary: Hiwatari Kai's got it all: he's on his own, he's got great friends, he'll never have to worry about money again. But there's a reason he classifies himself as an insomniac, and why Rei has a key to his house.

NOTE- This is a repost of my story Rhythm and Bounce. Much of it has stayed the same, but a good deal of it in terms of story and mechanics have been changed, hence why I am posting it as a new story. Please to read and enjoy.

DISCLAIMER: Um, no. I own nothing but the horses and the plot. And I owe all of my knowledge to books, and to my decade-plus of riding lessons.

* * *

"1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3, OVER! 1-2-3 OVER!"A tall, slender youth barked out, voice carrying over the sounds of pounding hooves. In the corner, two horses, a grey and a blue roan, were standing calmly, and a chestnut gelding slowed from a canter to a trot on the other side of the jumps he had just taken. The chestnut's rider urged his mount closer to the boy standing on the ground, taking off his helmet as he did so and wiping the sweat off of his forehead.

"How was that?" Blue eyes were questioning, and the boy's blonde hair was practically plastered to his face. The recipient of the inquiry sighed.

"Sloppy, Max. Incredibly sloppy."

"But Kai-!"

"Don't argue until you've heard me out," Kai said shortly, "You were completely off-balance, your heels were up, your hands were apart, you had next to no release at all at the take-off, and your speed was much too fast. We're working on form right now, not time, jockey boy."

"I'm sorry." Max looked almost like a puppy, eyes sad and downcast, and Kai suddenly held out his hand.

"Dismount and let me borrow your helmet."

"What?"

"You heard me. I'll show you what I mean. Hop off."

Rather surprised, Max obeyed, watching as Kai expertly adjusted his stirrups to his longer legs, mounted smoothly, and began to trot the horse in a large, lazy circle.

"You two over there," Kai called, "Listen up and watch, you could stand a little improvement yourselves, you know!" Fluidly, the large chestnut slowed, responding to the light and almost imperceptible sponging motions his rider was making on the reins. "Max, see how easy Happy's gait is? You need speed to make your fences, but you also need control and teamwork, and you need to make time to concentrate on what you're doing. Watch how he's not fighting me, he's got a nice arch to his neck, just a slight bend in the direction we're going, his ears are on me and he's focused. Watch my heels, my hands, and my eyes as I take the fence, okay? Don't ever look down." He left no room for answer or argument, and Max nodded.

"Got it."

With a curt nod, Kai circled Happy again, before beginning the approach at a slow, easy canter.

"1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3, make sure you count your strides on the approach, heels down, eyes up, looking where you're going, keep him steady between your legs and your hands, 1-2-3, one more, and rise up and release." As Happy flew enthusiastically over the fence, Kai's hands moved up on his neck and he rose slightly out of the saddle, then straightened the second Happy's front hooves hit solid earth, and then, "Rise up and release!" The same thing happened, and Happy easily cleared the second fence. Quickly, Kai brought him down to a trot, then a walk, seeing hints of sweat dotting the horse's shoulders and neck.

When they reached the blonde, Kai dismounted and handed over the helmet, revealing long, navy hair tied back in a ponytail with equally long silver bangs left out of it, and a blue bandana covering his head. Scarlet eyes stared out of an intelligent and attractive face, and a small, silver hoop glittered in one of his ears.

"Did you watch closely?" he inquired, stroking Happy on the nose, "Did you see how I did it? Not pell-mell at all."

"Yes. Do you want me to give it another shot?"

Kai surveyed Happy, before inclining his head.

"Yeah, try it once more. Think about what you saw me do, and listen to Happy."

"Right." Obediently, Max remounted and as he circled, Kai turned to one of the boys by the fence and beckoned him forward.

"Rei, if you want to give it a go or two, you can go after Max. Happy's nearly done, anyway."

The boy on the roan nodded and saluted, and urged his horse into a trot.

* * *

"Oh man, that feels really good."

His eyes closed, Kai groaned and leaned into the hands kneading his shoulders, something he absolutely would never have done in public.

"Christ, Kai." Rei muttered, putting a bit more muscle into it, "You're coiled up like a freakin' spring. So tense all over." Focused, he eased a knot out of the other boy's neck, thumbs working circular motions into his skin. There were several scars there, and he made a mental note, as always, to be just a little more gentle on those areas, "You have got to learn how to relax, or you'll snap."

"I am relaxed."

"No you're not, or I wouldn't have to work so hard." Rei told him flippantly. "Now, where feels worse? Neck or back?" Kai groaned again and looked up at him briefly before closing his eyes again.

"Back. Definitely back."

To the unfamiliar eye, it was an odd scenario, to say the least.

Rei was sitting on Kai's couch in the navy-haired boy's house, hands massaging Kai's neck, shoulders, and back. Kai was leaning up against his legs, head tilted to the side, eyes closed, his hair loose and falling about the small of his back.

"Lower, lower, Rei," the scarlet-eyed boy demanded, unconsciously shifting to allow better access.

"Okay, okay, I got it." Rei grinned at the contentment in his friend's voice mixed with an uncommonly common teenage indignation, then frowned, tracing a large scar on Kai's back, not quite as pale as the others littering his skin. Kai let out a long sigh and succumbed to his friend's undeniably talented hands. "You work too hard."

"I have to. There's a lot to do. And there are some shows coming up."

"I'm well aware of that. But we're all competent, even the two younger ones. They'd rather die than let you down, even Takao if he'd stop getting his pride all ruffled up. Though… I doubt that's what you're worried about."

At the blatant praise, Kai scowled and stared at his lap, allowing Rei to soothe his tension.

"Where the hell did you ever learn how to do this?"

"Kai, I've told you about fifteen billion times. When you grow up in a small village in China, punishment generally entails massaging the elder's foot corns."

"….wait, wait. So doing this is akin to massaging some old guy's FEET for you?" Kai asked, scowling slightly, and Rei laughed outright, leaning forward to slump almost onto Kai's head.

"No, no. Your back is a very impressive upgrade for me, trust me. I was very much a troublemaker as a child, so I have been exposed to many a nasty toe in my life." The Chinese boy straightened up and smiled, watching when Kai's eyebrows became just slightly less furrowed and grumpy.

Kai shook his head in resignation..

"Whatever, less talk, more……whatever the hell it is that you're doing with your hands."

Rei laughed.

"Okay, just scoot over a bit more, and move your hair, you hippie."

* * *

……

2:30.

Kai groaned and turned over in bed, clenching his eyes shut and shoving a pillow over his head.

…….

2:32.

2:33.

2:34.

"GodDAMNIT."

Irritable and frustrated, Kai watched the red digits flip, agonizingly slowly, on the clock beside his bed. He turned over again, and then just as suddenly, gave up. There was no getting any sleep that night. He'd been watching that clock for the last two hours, and for some reason, it never seemed to get any faster.

Growling in annoyance, he flipped on his light and slid out of bed, taking out several textbooks and a notebook filled with neat writing. Reading and note-taking were habit for him when sleep came with difficulty, the worn edges of the pages were testament to that. Anything to make his brain focus on something other than what was bothering him, after all.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Kai, what the hell?" Rei's sleepy voice filtered through the wood, "I live next door to you, crankypants. Turn your lights off and get some sleep, or I don't." This was too silly for words and thus Kai offered none. Seconds later, Rei, having a spare key, entered, his hair rumpled and him in a pair of black pajamas. Kai merely looked up, silent, as Rei sat down next to him, before turning back to his work, much to Rei's displeasure. "Okay yeah, you've been up way too long if you're not even speaking to me. Up, up, back into bed and give me the book."

Ignoring Kai's icy glare, Rei stood up, took a hold of his friend's arm, and tugged him to his feet, steering him to the large bed and shoving him down, matter-of-factly. Quite frankly, it was only because they had known each other this long that he was allowed to do this, and anyone else would have been immediately killed and/or maimed. Looming over him, Rei placed his hands on his hips and glared.

"If you think you scare me, you would be incredibly wrong."

"I should kill you. Or…something."

"You wouldn't. I help out here too much," Rei teased mildly, a slightly mischievous smile curling at his lips. He flicked a fang at his friend and Kai's scowl deepened, his left eye twitching. "No, seriously. Sleep. You need it and you know it." Shaking his head, Rei sat down on the bed against the headboard, meeting Kai's unrelenting gaze from his pillow without hesitation. "I'll wake you if something goes wrong. Just sleep."

Finally, Kai inclined his head slightly, pridefully, before those blood-red eyes finally closed.

* * *

The morning found Kai out in the barn at seven, and having finished feeding the horses and getting everything ready for the day, he currently had his large, black Salerno mare in the crossties, quietly running a brush over her sleek coat. The mare, Meadow, nickered at him, turning her head to nudge affectionately at his shoulder. Absently, Kai reached out an arm and embraced her head, rubbing her cheek.

"G-good morning." A tentative voice called from the front entrance, and Kai glanced up to see Max in the doorway, hands behind his back, backpack hanging off his shoulder.

"…morning." Kai muttered. The greeting was rather cordial for him. Shyly, the blonde entered, beaming when Happy stuck his head out of his stall and greeted him with a nudge on the arm. Laughing, the younger boy pulled out a bag of baby carrots and slipped the chestnut a few, before turning his attention back to Kai.

"Um, I was wondering…."

"Yes?"

"If you had time, maybe you could give me an extra lesson?" Max inquired, flushing. "I-I'll pay you, of course-!" he added quickly, knowing, even if they were friends, that Kai might have other things to do, that didn't involve him. Kai cut him off.

"It's fine. I've got nothing planned. And don't bother about paying, it would just sit and rot." This was said complete with an expression of utter disgust. "Go ahead and get Happy out. Just be prepared for torture, there IS a show in two weeks, you know."

"Torture… you weren't kidding." Max groaned about an hour and a half later, rubbing the backs of his legs.

"I don't kid. You know that." Kai told him, hosing down Meadow, who flicked her tail at him. "But you really need to work on your heels and not looking down at the jumps."

"I know." Max mused, holding Happy by the end of his lead rope, allowing the horse to graze. "I'm trying, I really am."

"Trying doesn't always get the job done." Kai growled, only to feel irritatingly guilty when those blue, puppy-like eyes widened, and Max looked hurt at his comment. "It's true." The younger boy stared at the ground.

"I know." he responded quietly. "I know. I know I'm not that good yet, and I probably shouldn't even be showing yet at all. But I'm trying to learn the best I can. But I can only go so far so quickly."

"Are you saying that you don't want to compete yet?" Kai asked coolly, staring Max in the face, brutally honest. "Because if you don't want to, you don't have to. There is no obligation in this."

"But I do-!"

"Then that's all you need to be a better rider than a lot of people out there. Quit whining and keep learning. I think you're good enough, and it's high time you stopped worry about how good you aren't and started focusing on how to be better," he replied gruffly, trying to stifle the loosening in his chest when Max beamed at him, bright-eyed.

"Takao, how many times do I have to tell you, KEEP YOUR FREAKIN' HEELS DOWN!" Kai roared furiously, clenching his hands on a railing. From the left, Rei stared in concern, and squeezed his shoulder.

"Kai, would you calm down? You're going to hurt yourself or kill something, neither of which I want happening." He said in a pacifying fashion, and Kai snarled at him. "Seriously, stop it." The navy-haired boy ignored him, settling for glaring intently at Takao, who was by that time frustrated at both himself and Kai, and was getting nowhere, only messing up further and causing Cloud to squirrel out of her jumps.

The whole thing was getting nowhere.

Finally, having enough of it, Rei grabbed Kai by the arm and dragged him closer, before stepping forward.

"Takao, I think we're all stressed out and I think we've all had enough for today. Go ahead and dismount and take Cloud in, and chill out. You too." He directed this one at Kai. "You have been completely and totally unbearable today, you're freaking everyone out, and I'm sick of it! Go take a nap. NOW. No one will ever get better with you in a snit." He hissed, and Kai was so startled and affronted that he actually obeyed without question and retreated to his house, pressing a hand to his throbbing head.

* * *

Rei found him an hour later, after letting himself in, sitting on the couch, his head in his hands.

"Kai?" he question, "Are you alright? I didn't mean to yell at you like that, I'm sorry."

No response.

"Are you mad at me?" Rei's golden eyes were worried and concerned, and he sat down next to his friend, blinking. "Talk to me."

Kai winced.

"Be quiet, my head seriously hurts." Kai muttered, eyes pained and clenched shut. "I can't even think straight. And I can't stop thinking." Rei stared, before taking Kai's wrists.

"Lay back and calm down." He said quietly, keeping his voice low and collected, and when he was obeyed he reached out and pressed his fingers to Kai's temples, rubbing in circular motions. Kai shuddered and sighed, the tension flowing out of his frame.

"I hate it when you do that."

"Liar," Rei retorted, continuing his ministrations and receiving a glare. "Don't look at me like that."

"This can't continue. There's a show in a week."

"No, what can't continue is this perpetual unpleasantness of yours," Rei snapped. "There are things, like your health, that are more important than competitions, bonehead. And now you've got the boys running terrified of you and it's making you angrier and making it all worse." He sighed, hands drifting down to run circles on the back on his neck. "You're my best friend, but I can't let you go on like this." He rose up, undoing Kai's hair from its binding. "You're worried, I understand that. You've just been through a court battle from hell. I understand that too. But as your friend, I can't let you get like this." He shook his head. "Rest, I'll look after the boys, and I'll take care of chores too. When I get back, I want to see you sleeping." He said nothing else, and got to his feet, before exiting the house.

Kai glowered after him.

"….jerk. That was cheap as hell."

Cheap it might be, but it worked, and, eyelids already drooping, Kai allowed them to close and he rolled over to drift into a dreamless world.

* * *

Face pale, Takao tried to hide the fact that his hands were shaking, as he made attempts to braid Cloud's mane, where the horse was tethered to a hook on the side of Kai's trailer. They were at an alien stable, a place he had never been -hell, he had never ridden anywhere other than at Kai's place!- and the place was teeming with trailers, people, horses, and vendors selling food. The smell of deep-fried goodness was something that normally would have made him ecstatic, but now it only seemed to make him nauseous. He swore under his breath when he stepped back and saw that he disliked what he had created, and began to undo it all.

"Hold it."

Takao blinked and turned around, to find Rei standing behind him, already in a pair of breeches and a short-sleeved show shirt. His boots were a blindingly shiny black in the bright sun of the morning, and he had braided his own hair and had somehow managed to tie it up out of his way and still make it look good, professional, and not like a lady. A laminated number was held lightly in one of his hands.

"Having trouble?" The Chinese boy inquired, stepping forward to examine the braid. "It's not bad, but you still need practice. Mind if I fix it up a little for you?" Takao shook his head. "It was good up until here," Rei gestured at a point, "And then it went to hell. So I don't have to re-do all of it, see?" In minutes, Cloud's mane was neatly braided. Her hooves were already polished, and her one sock was gleaming white.

"Where's Kai?" Takao asked nervously.

"On the other side, helping Max get ready." Rei answered immediately.

"What classes are you in, anyway? I forgot."

"Well, I'm in the Intermediate hunter class and I put Monster in Gelding halter; Kai's in advanced show jumping, advanced English pleasure, and a few others that I can't remember; Max is in… -god, what was it again?- Oh yeah, beginning hunter 2', and you, my unduly anxious friend, are in beginning dressage walk/trot. " Rei told him gently. Takao gulped. "Really, don't worry. You've worked your tail off for this, and even if Kai won't say it, you've done a great job in such a short time. Just keep remembering that you can do it, and think of the huge celebration dinner we're going out for tonight." Rei said cheerfully, clapping Takao on the shoulder. "Anyway, your class is in an half hour, I'd get myself in my outfit and Cloud tacked up pronto, so you can warm up, and get your pony used to the new place, okay?" With that, he grinned and began walking away, to stop on the other side of the trailer and begin cooing to his giant Hanoverian gelding. The blue roan lowered his head and snuffled at him as Rei folded up his black coat and rest it inside where all of their stuff was.

"How's it going over there?" He called, and was answered by a gruff,

"Fine." from where Kai was straightening Max's tie and getting him ready for his class.

"You ready?" Rei inquired with a smile that had proven time and time again reassuring, and Max nodded, blue eyes worried.

"I think so."

"Quit worrying." Kai suddenly spoke up, watching Happy instead, "You worked hard for this." That was probably as close to praise as he would ever go and they all knew it. Suddenly, his watch beeped, and he glanced at it, before nodding slightly. "Max, your class is in a half-hour. Go down to the field and wait for it, they'll call it out- HOLD IT, don't you dare forget to put your number on- and quit worrying."

"Yeah, we'll all be there in a bit, when Takao finally gets his stuff on." Rei injected. Max nodded and took Happy by the reins, and the large chestnut enthusiastically followed him over to the medium-sized field where his event would take place. "Oi, you done yet?" Golden eyes rolled at the closed door where Takao was changing, and finally the boy came out, decked out in white breeches, a black show coat with a white shirt under, knee high dress boots, and stock pin. Rei whistled. "Very nice."

"Do you really think so?" Takao asked, tugging uncomfortably at a sleeve.

"Of course."

"Did Max already go down?"

"Yes, and we should too."

"Bring Cloud with you." Kai said, "So she can walk around. The more she sees now, the less she'll spaz when you need her to be calm."

"Okay." Takao responded, dashing around and snagging Cloud, who was curiously whinnying greetings to other horses and seemed to be incredibly glad to move. "Geez, she's hyper today.."

"Well, she's interested in everything." Kai told him, stroking the grey on the nose, "She's old hat to showing, but it's still a new place that she doesn't know. Anyway, let's go. Our classes aren't for awhile, so Rei and I are going to leave Meadow and Monster where they are."

When they got down to the field, Max had mounted up, and Happy was making rounds in a small ring to warm up. The chestnut's ears were flicking back and forth, and the extra work they had been doing was paying off, he wasn't fighting Max at all, while the boy was being much softer with his hands. Kai watched him intently, and every so often offered a tidbit of advice, but other than that just sat on the fence.

"Well, if this isn't a sight for sore eyes, I don't know what is." A voice suddenly rang out from behind them, and they all turned.

A rather cute teenage girl stood there, clothed in a show habit with her brown hair pulled up in a hair net, holding the reins of a dainty, white-grey Arab mare. Takao groaned softly.

"You know her?" Rei asked, and he nodded.

"Yeah." Then, he turned to the girl. "Hi, Hillary." The girl, Hillary, grinned.

"Hello, Takao. I wasn't expecting to see you showing so soon. It's only been, what about a year?"

"Yeah, what of it?" The boy responded defensively, and she wagged a finger at him.

"I was just commenting on it, not ripping on you. What classes are you in?"

Takao stared intently at Cloud, so to avoid her innocently curious gaze.

"Just Beginning Dressage…"

"What do you know, me too!" Hillary exclaimed, then excitedly patted her horse. "This is El Jahrousse! I She was a birthday gift from my father, isn't she cute? Her name means "The Protected One" in Arabic. Who's yours, and who're they?" This was all said in one breath, and Takao blinked.

"Um, this is Cloud, and she's not mine. You already know Max over there on Happy, the chestnut gelding, there's Rei Kon and his horse, Monster, and there's Kai Hiwatari and Meadow. Kai owns both Happy and Cloud, and he's also my teacher." All except for Max nodded in acknowledgment, and Kai immediately turned back to observe the blonde, his brief interest in the strange girl waning as quickly as she had shown up.

"Well, it's good to meet you guys, and I'll see you in the ring, Takao! I have to go meet my parents. Bye!"

They waved, and she walked away.

"That is a very, very odd girl." Rei mused idly.

"You have no idea." Was Takao's only answer, and he shook his head.

* * *

_ALL PARTICIPANTS IN BEGINNING HUNTER PLEASE CONGREGATE AT THE RIGHT FIELD. YOUR CLASS WILL BEGIN IN FIVE MINUTES. REPEAT, ALL PARTICIPANTS IN BEGINNING HUNTER PLEASE CONGREGATE AT THE RIGHT FIELD. YOUR CLASS WILL BEGIN IN FIVE MINUTES._

The intercom blared, and Max gulped, staring at the fences, having memorized the course but still completely aware of his stomach jumping around in his chest where it most definitely was NOT supposed to be. There were about seven riders in the class, and he was number three, and he wasn't happy about it at all. There were two before him, not nearly enough to see where the difficulties lay, and he would have a long time to fret and worry about how he did until the placings were announced. Takao stood up by the bleachers and was walking with Rei to get ready for his class, which was a ways away, while Kai stayed to watch the jumping.

Soon, it had begun.

The first rider, on a large bay, did well save for one ticked fence, and the fact that he got several points taken off for a too sharp of turn, and the second was eliminated for three refusals.

"_Number 342, Mizuhara Max, riding Happiness Personified. Please enter the arena."_

Taking a deep breath, Max urged Happy into a walk, and nodded in acknowledgment of the judge, before nudging Happy first into a trot, then a slow, easy canter. As he settled into it, Kai's voice began echoing in his head: _Concentrate on what you're doing, don't get ahead of yourself, let Happy guide you through the tough parts, but guide him too. Control your speed, and keep your heels down. Count your strides, and keep your shoulders open, your chest out, and then rise up and release._ Almost on instinct, Max obeyed him, even in his head, and automatically relaxed, knowing that he wasn't by himself. Happy wouldn't let him down. The first fence, a single, simple thing made of a large log went by like nothing, and Max began to smile, feeling the familiarity of the horse under him.

The second and third fences, a set of plain wood went by in a flash, and Max let Happy extend a bit, feeling the horse's enthusiasm and energy to please and jump encourage him, and took the fourth like nothing, loving the feeling of Happy's muscles bunching up underneath him, feeling his front legs coming up and the back ones tucking under, and knowing that Happy was staying straight over the fence. The fifth and six were bricks, and Max wasn't aware of anything but the course.

He switched leads like a pro without breaking gait, and he knew that Happy looked his name from the way he was moving, and Max was unaware of anything but the course, the observers completely forgotten.

The last fence was something different, a large thing, nothing but poles crossed two feet high and colored blue and green, but reached up over Happy's head. The horse sped up, and Max sponged the reins, trying to keep him down, but by that time it was too late. He jumped too soon, and everything was abruptly silent as a back foot hit a pole and knocked it down. Max groaned silently, but refused to look upset until after he exited the arena and dismounted.

Numbly, he loosened Happy's girth, and suddenly wrapped his arms around the horse's neck, burying his face in his mane. Happy made a whickering noise, and turned his head and nudged at the odd little two-legger who rode him all the time, wondering why he was so upset, but innately knowing that it had something to do with him. Max jolted as he felt a hand settle on his shoulder.

"……?"

"Good job." Kai muttered, noticing tears threatening to fall from the younger boy's blue eyes. "You did well."

"Did I really?" Max asked. "I'm so stupid, rushing was one of the things we'd really worked on, too, and I blew it. If I did well, it really doesn't feel like it." He stifled a sniff, and silent, Kai handed him a bottle of water.

"Sit down and drink it slowly. Right where you are's fine."

As mentioned once before, to the unfamiliar eye, it was an odd scenario.

One very blonde foreigner sitting flat on the grass, holding a water bottle in one hand and the reins of a mellow-looking Happy in the other, watching the remaining entrants in his class take the course. Next to him sat a stern youth with the most unusual hair, who occasionally commented on rounds.

Eventually, Kai got up, after the last rider had gone over.

"Tighten your girth again and mount up, they're about to announce the ribbons." he said.

"But I probably won't-"

"Too bad, do it anyway. I said tighten your girth and mount up," Kai snapped.

"_In first place, Coffee in the Morning, shown by number #648, Takarai Akane."_

A girl on a smallish black gelding trotted in, bowed, collected her ribbon graciously, and trotted out.

"_In second place, Happiness Personified, shown by #342, Mizuhara Max."_

Max didn't move.

"Go, go. Move it or lose it." Kai ordered insistently, all but beginning to tug a prancing Happy into the arena. At his words, Max snapped out of it and trotted into the ring. He bowed and thanked the judge, a stiff-looking middle-aged woman, and accepted his red ribbon with a large grin, before exiting.

He didn't wait to hear the rest of the placings, in seconds, he had dismounted, hugged Happy, and then threw his arms around Kai, who looked utterly shocked at the gesture.

"I got second place! I did it, I really did it!" The boy exclaimed gaily, obviously thrilled, and Kai allowed a tiny smile to curl at his lips.

"Like I said, good job." he repeated gruffly, before shaking his head. "Let's go to the dressage ring and see how the hyper little snot does."

Max just couldn't stop smiling.

"Okay!"

* * *

"_Third place, Storm Clouds Brewing, shown by #228, Kinomiya Takao."_

They got there just in time to see Takao exit the ring, a third place ribbon clutched in his hands, grinning from ear to ear, Rei sitting on the fence, whooping like a maniac. Seeing this, Max ran forward over to Rei, proudly showing him the ribbon he held, after handing a surprisingly mellow-looking Kai Happy's reins.

"Hey, great job!" Rei cheered, "Told you could do it!"

"I was really scared, but it was so fun!"

Wearing a free, almost dazzlingly happy smile, Takao dismounted, running his hands over his yellow ribbon.

"Awesome, you got second! I got third, but that was only for little stuff. And I'm happy, because I only lost to Hillary and some girl who looked too good to be in a beginner class." Takao crowed, giving Cloud an apple piece from the fruit Kai had handed him. "Cloud was such a good girl, I think she was just making me look good, though."

"He's lying," Rei informed Kai, smirking. "It wasn't just the horse."

"Of course not, Cloud's no push-button. Aren't you mad that you lost to Hillary? I thought you had some sort of rival vibes going on with her." Kai spoke up, raising a brow. Takao shook his head.

"A little, but she's been riding a lot longer than I have, and she genuinely was better. Besides, she got second, and she cheered for me when they announced my placing." Takao tossed his head and gave Cloud an affectionate hug. "I'm so proud of you, girl." He cooed, inciting laughs and smiles from bystanders, who had been rather charmed by the whole group of them.

Suddenly, Rei glanced at his watch, and winced.

"I'm up next, for intermediate hunter, and it's in twenty minutes. I'll see you guys there!" A slightly crazed look in his eyes, Rei jumped off the fence and began to run off in the direction of the trailer. Kai shook his head.

"Crazy, just crazy. You two, go ahead and follow him, untack these guys and tie them back up, and just follow Rei, I've got something to do." Chattering animatedly, Max and Takao nodded and obeyed, and Kai was left by himself. He smiled slightly and rested his chin in his hands. As if on cue, a voice spoke up behind him.

"Being quite domestic these days, aren't we?"

Calmly, he turned, facing a tall redhead with startlingly blue eyes.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here, Tala. I thought you were in Russia. You're not showing, are you?" He replied quietly.

"Already did, this morning. Took a class for fun. You could do so much more, why are you just hanging around here?" Tala inquired, walking forward to stand beside Kai. The scarlet-eyed boy shook his head.

"I don't know. I like this."

"But-"

"Maybe later. When these guys don't need me so much, then I'll try to go forward. But until then, I think I'll stay where I am." The navy-haired boy mused quietly, then met Tala's eyes. "Did you get a new horse? I heard about Merlin. I'm sorry." Blue eyes darkened in sadness.

"Yeah. But there was nothing else that the vet could do. It would be unfair for such a jumper like him to be confined to his stall for the rest of his life. But he was so beautiful." Tala shook his head. "Would you like to meet my new horse?"

"…I'd love to."

* * *

A bit later, after Kai had made friends with Tala's blue-black Friesian, a friendly fellow by the name of Khepri, by stuffing him with apple wafers, he stood in front of the re-done hunter ring, the jumps having been raised and put in a different position. Rei sat mounted on Monster, clothed in his full jumper garb. Both the roan and his rider were perfectly calm, and for good reason.

"_In first place, Winter's Leviathan, shown and owned by #546, Kon Rei."_

Judging by the other riders, by Monster's tangibly good temperament and enthusiasm, and both of their good forms, it was almost inevitable that Rei would walk away with a blue, which he beamingly stuck on Monster's bridle.

"His name's so cool, I've never actually heard his registered name before." Max commented, "How on Earth did you end up calling him Monster?" Rei laughed, and he met Kai's eyes.

"Well, Kai got him a few years ago, when he was a two-year-old, and the first time I saw Kai put a saddle on his back as a trial, I thought, 'What a little monster'. The name sorta stuck, and kept sticking when Kai gave him to me." He shook his head, "The rotten little monster, he was so bad." Nevertheless, he turned and scratched Monster's forehead; the horse began snuffling about in Rei's pockets to have treats. "Boy, I promise you, there aren't any apples in my show coat."

Three hours later, Kai's last class, his jump round was what they looked forward to. He was in advanced show jumping, not show hunter, a class that depended more on speed and accuracy than time, and none of them except for Rei had ever really seen Meadow in action.

"_Next up, #568, Hiwatari Kai, on Champion Sweet Wildflower's Meadowlark."_

Stoic, Kai entered the ring, the huge black mare under him wound up like a spring, her movements eager, and he nodded to the judge, before turning. Almost invisibly, he urged her into a canter, such a fast gait that it may as well have been a gallop.

The fences were all terrifying, the lowest at four feet, the tallest at four-six, and brightly colored, some covered in flowers, others in odd shapes, and even others that overlooked water.

The first, a parallel triple oxer that was colored bright green and framed by garlands on each side, went by without a hitch, as did a gigantic thing in the shape of Mount Rushmore, but if one watched closely, they could see Kai actually holding Meadow back slightly, not allowing to go full-out, which was obviously what she wanted to do.

She soared over the butterfly jump, and over the three-fence bounce, Kai keeping his form, and she took another oxer, powerful strides gaining ground and throwing up dirt, and then took a splashdown into a water jump from a bank, sending up spray before charging over a farmhouse. Despite how fast Meadow was going, it felt, to Kai at least, like she was in slow motion, and he relished the power of her speed and the strength it required to hold her back.

She went over a light blue jump with false birds perched all over it, and once more tried to rush, but Kai held her back slightly; they were still had four jumps to go. Another four foot bounce, then a sharp turn to the right into and over another oxer, and she looked like she was positively flying; she may as well have been. The second-to-last was a 4'6" gate covered in flowers, but was made wide by a low brick wall on front of .

Suddenly, Kai completely let her go.

Meadow stretched out and extended her stride eating into the ground, and anyone watching swore that she must have been in the air for at least three seconds as she went over the last fence, a simple red and blue horseshoe. The second she hit the ground Kai straightened up and slowed her, and she fought him for a bit, before willingly giving him back control. The crowd was on its feet and roaring, but he didn't appear to notice it.

After a bit, Meadow was trotting smoothing, her sides slightly heaving, sweat streaking her shoulders, and a flash of silver proved that Kai's bangs were sticking to his face, proving that he too was a living being who had normal reactions. Upon exiting the ring, he was immediately swamped by three ecstatic teammates, though only Rei dared to hug him so tightly in public.

"You were amazing!" Max exclaimed, eyes shining, sounding thrilled. "You had to have won, you went clean, and you were so fast-!"

"We'll see." Kai muttered, embarrassed by the whole thing, and suddenly met Tala's eyes from where the boy stood off to the side.

"Think about I said," Tala said quietly, "Really, think about it. You've been far, and you can go back there again."

"I told you, later. I'll think about it. I promise." The other boy responded, ignoring the curious glances he was receiving, and nodded. "Don't forget to stop by sometime, and bring Khepri with you."

"I think I'll take you up that."

"You can find it?"

"Of course, I don't have your sense of navigation."

"Oh shut up." Kai growled. Tala suddenly gave a small smile.

"That was certainly a performance, my friend. Just don't let bad memories hold you back, got it?" With that, he turned and raised a hand as he walked away. "Later."

From Kai's right, Rei shook his head.

"Tala is one weird guy."

"Oh, I don't know." Kai mused, "You seem to understand him well enough."

They sat on the grass on the sidelines until the last rider had gone through, and then Kai stood, tightening up Meadow's girth, and remounting.

"_And now, for the announcement of the winners in the last class of the day. In first place, Champion Sweet Wildflower's Meadowlark, shown and owned by #568, Hiwatari Kai."_

_

* * *

_

"Cheers, to a great first showing and all of us placing at least once!"

"Cheers, to Kai owning all of us in jumping!"

"Cheers, to me almost beating Hillary!"

"Humble, aren't you? Hmm, let's see. Cheers, to Monster stealing the judge's clipboard and not giving it back."

"Kai, was that really necessary? Honestly. JUST because my horse has a sense of humor…"

* * *

A photo sat on the top of Kai's dresser.

Four boys stood in a field. The blonde and a boy with hair of a deep blue, both with blue eyes, rode double on a chestnut gelding while a grey mare grazed nearby. The two boys were cackling madly, the horse was trotting energetically, and it was obvious that they had never ridden double before, as it looked as if they were about to fall off. A boy with black hair and golden eyes was luring his horse, without tack or a lead, a blue roan, over jumps by dangling a carrot in front of the horse's face.

A boy with navy hair tied back and crimson eyes sat on a deep black Salerno mare, bareback, without even a bridle. He wore no shoes, just ripped blue jeans and a tee-shirt with the sleeves ripped off, obviously by hand.

A large, uninhibited, and overall rare smile on his face made attractive albeit cold features softer, gentler, and the picture had been snapped just as he reached down and wrapped his arms around the mare's neck, loving and affectionate.

-END-


End file.
